Breast flap attaching machines



Dec. 29, 1970 p v DQWNING ETAL 3,550,175

BREAST FLAP ATTACHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Shea t 1 Filed April 1, 1969Dec. 29, 1970 DQWNING EI'AL 3,550,175

BREAST FLAP ATTACHING MACRTNES Filed Apiil 1, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2United States Patent 3,550,175 BREAST FLAP ATTACHING MACHINES Frank V.Downing, Raymond, and Norman A. Bergeron,

Manchester, N.H., assignors, by mesne assignments, to

Inter-Coastal Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston,

Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 1, 1969, Ser. No. 812,286Int. Cl. A43d 63/00, 89/00 US. Cl. 1216.4 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A machine for simultaneously applying attaching pressure onthe sole and heel breast of cement lasted shoes is provided with a backpart heel support responsive to relative movement of sole pad elementsand a shoe holding device, the mounting of the heel support being suchas to accommodate the heel with increasing back-up pressure as attachingpressure is applied to the sole and heel breast. Relative heightwisemovement of the shoe being operated on causes the heel support to bepivoted about an axis widthwise of the shoe and simultaneously movedbodily heightwise thereof against the heel thereby to wrap about theheel back contour in a manner enabling increasing heel breast presure tobe uniformly distributed while heel displacement on the shoe bottom isavoided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In US. Letters Patent 3,052,901, issuedSept. 111, 1962 upon an application filed Nov. 1, 1960 in the name of H.Gulbrandsen et al. there is disclosed a machine for applying pressuresimultaneously to a shoe bottom and the breast of a heel attached to theshoe bottom. As therein disclosed, a supporting box with a solidresilient pad is moved, in a 2-step operation, first quickly to carry ashoe bottom-down, with its temporarily attached sole relatively to a setof toe and heel abutments with a light force enabling the pad contour toadjust to the shoe shape, and then exert a heavier force on the shoeover a period sufiicient to attach the sole securely. The machineillustrated is intended for operation on a lasted cement shoe on which aLouis or other type of heel has been temporarily attached as by adhesiveor a single nail.

Greatest variations in curvature occur on the shoe shanks between shoesof different size and style. To adjust to such curvatures and others,force distributing connections work through resilient pad elements andare eflective to concentrate pressure from the heel and forepart to theshank region of the shoe. For securely and precisely attaching thebreast flap portion of a sole to the breast of a shoe-attached heel, itis essential that the heel not be displaced on the shoe bottom whenincreased attaching pressure is applied. The problem of uniformlyapplying pressure via resilient solid pads is complicated by theirtendency, when compressed vertically, to flow and expand horizontally.While the illustrative machine of the aforementioned patent hasgenerally performed well, it does employ a rearward heel support or rammechanism which is complex and not adaptable to accommodate as wide arange of heel shapes and sizes as is desirable today.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing it is an object ofthis invention to provide, in a machine for simultaneously attachingsoles and breast flaps to shoes having heels afiixed thereto, animproved heel back-up mechanism of simple yet versatile design.

To this end, and in accordance with a feature of the invention, the heelback-up mechanism includes a heel support cooperative with a shankpresser pad and swingably mounted for embracing the back parts of heels,the support being pivotal on a fulcrum movable heightwise of the shoe inresponse to shoe movement during heightwise compression of the shankpad. In contrast to the heel support operating movements, when employingthe pad box and associated shoe engaging devices shown in the patentreferred to above, or in for example, Gulbrandsen Pat. 3,055,027, issuedSept. 25, 1962, the present invention requires fewer parts, and the heelsupport is automatically caused by relative heightwise displacement ofthe shoe itself to embrace the rearward surface of the heel whereuponthat surface can displace and/or bodily move the heel support incounterbalancing pressure applied to the heel breast flap. The heelsupport mounted as described in the aforementioned patents could provideonly such substantially constant counterbalancing pressure as yieldingsprings permitted, whereas in the arrangement now afforded the heelsupport automatically and appropriately increases its back-up supportfor the heel as the shoe assumes the final position for sole and heelflap attachment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other features ofthe invention will now be more particularly described in connection withan illustrative embodiment and with reference to the accompanyingdrawings thereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of a shoe and heelsupporting pad boxand shoe engaging and holding devices cooperative therewith, the partsbeing in inoperative position;

FIG. 2 is a view cor-responding to a right-hand portion of FIG. 1 butshowing a different heel with a heel pad now shifted forwardly on itssupport means and in rest position;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, with portions insection, and showing a shoe under pressure in sole and breast flapattaching position, pressure distributing linkage now actuating the heelsupport; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate in side elevation, two of many variant contoursof different styles of heels.

DESCRIPTION OF T HE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT By way of facilitatingappreciation of the present invention, a comparison of the heel endportion of the pad box structure shown in FIG. 3 of the above cited Pat.3,052,901 (or FIG. 1 of the Pat. 3,055,027) with that illustrated inFIG. 1 herein is invited. Not only have some fifty parts been madeunnecessary and eliminated by the present invention but a novel mountingof a resilient support 10 for the rearward surface of a Louis or otherheels 12 has proven markedly advantageous as will hereinafter beexplained.

For a clearer understanding of the invention it will for convenience bedescribed as embodied in a breast flap attaching machine of the typeotherwise assumed to have a construction essentially as disclosed in theGulbrandsen Pat. 3,052,901 cited, it being understood that the inventionis not thus limited in its application. Thus, while the invention isillustrated as applied to a pad box generally designated 14 that israised vertically by pressure means (not shown) to compress a cementlasted shoe on the box against stationary toe and heel abutment devices16 and 18 (FIG. 1), the invention is equally advantageous in othermachines, for instance of the type wherein the abutment devices aremoved to apply pressure to the shoe, and regardless of whether pressureis applied in one or more stages.

The shoe to be operated upon, often having a high heel, has an upper 20supported on a last 22 with an outsole 24 spotted in the shoe bottom.The rearward end of the outsole is formed as a reduced portion or flap26 for covering the usually arcuate front face or breast of thetemporarily attached heel 12. The pad box 14 is provided with acomposite set of pad elements for accommodating the shoe bottom. Theseelements are protected by a leather cover 28 secured by a rim plate 30.

Preferably in lieu of manually adjustable forepart, shank and heel pads,pressure distributing connections between these members enable them toadjust automatically to each shoe bottom contour. To this end a foreparttray 32 (FIG. 1), a shank tray 34, and a heel supporting tray 36 areyieldingly held in the pad box in preliminary positions of adjustment.The arrangement is such that the forepart and heel trays 32, 36 arerelatively depressed when the shoe is brought under compression on thecover 28, components of the forces bearing on the forepart and heelbeing imparted through links and levers (largely as fully set forth inthe Pat. 3,052,901)

to cause independent vertical layers of resilient shank pads 38 and aheel breast pressing layer 40 which rest on the shank tray 34 to bepressed against the shank area of the shoe. The forepart tray 32containing parallel pad layers 42 engages a pin 44 mounted in theforward arms of a pair of balancing levers 46. The latter are fulcrumedon a shaft 48 rotatable in opposed side plates 50 (one shown in FIG. 1)constituting a base for the box 14. Rearward ends of the levers 46extend beneath forward arms of the shank tray 34. This tray 34 is in theform of a wide lever pivoted on a shaft 52 extending widthwise of theshoe and journaled in the side plates 50. For avoiding abrupt change inpressure exerted by the trays 32, 34 they are desirably connectedloosely by a link 54 as set forth in the Pat. 3,052,901.

Coming now more especially to the novel mounting of the heel support 10,which may be a rubber pad block of selected shape and suitable hardnessto accommodate the back ends of the heels to be engaged thereby, it isformed with a widthwise kerf 57. Hence, as shown in FIG. 2 the supportis tightly but detachably seated on a pair of aligned, widthwise-spacedupstanding ribs 56 (one shown) integral with the base of the heel tray36, or when desired the support 10 may be entirely in the tray andretained by the ribs as shown in FIG. 1. The tray 36 is pivotallysupported on a pin 58 (FIGS. 13) extending widthwise of the shoe andcarried by an arm 60 of a bell crank lever having arms 62, 64, the bellcrank lever itself being carried by a pin 66 transversely fixed in theopposed side plates 50. The arm 62 is formed with a horizontal slot 68for slidably receiving a pin 70 in the rearward end of the shank tray34. The toe and heel trays 32, 36 are urged upwardly while the shanktray 34 is depressed by means of a strong tension spring 72. For thispurpose one end of the spring 72 is secured by an eye bolt 74 coupled toa cross bar 76 in the base of the pad box 14 and the other end of thespring is connected to the depending end of the arm 64.

It will be noted that the heel tray 36 with its support 10 may bereadily removed and interchanged with another corresponding assemblywhen desired and without disassembling the machine since front legportions 78 of the tray 36 are formed with open-ended bearing slots 80(only one shown) for receiving the pin 58. The limit of counterclockwisemovement of the heel tray with respect to the bell crank lever 62, 64 isdetermined by engagement of a flat under surface of the portions 78 witha flat 82 on the lever. It is to be noted, however, that a limit ofcounterclockwise movement of the heel tray is not finally determineduntil, in the unusual condition, the arm 62 abuts a block 84 (FIGS. 1and 3) secured in the pad box base, and that the support 10 is bodilymovable heightwise of the shoe as well as pivotally about a widthwiseaxis during pressure engagement with the heel. This combined motionenables the support 10 to accommodate various heels by furtherconcentrating pressure on the breast surface as an increase of pressureon the rear surface of the heel is applied.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for applying pressure simultaneously to a shoe bottom andto the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, said machine havinga pad box relatively movable with respect to cooperative toe and heelengaging devices and including forepart, shank, and heel pressingelements, in combination with a pressure distributing linkage forapplying pressure to the shank of a shoe when pressure is applied to theforepart and heel portion thereof, the heel pressing element beingpivotally supported on said linkage for movement bodily heightwise ofthe shoe during application of said shank pressure and for movementabout an axis extendingwidthwise of the shoe to embrace the rearwardsurface of the heel.

2. A machine for applying pressure simultaneously to a shoe bottom andto the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, said machine havinga pad box relatively movable with respect to cooperative toe and heelengaging devices and including forepart, shank, and heel pressingelements, in combination With a pressure distributing means including aforepart tray for the forepart pressing elements and a shank tray forthe shank pressing elements, said trays being interconnected, and a heelsupport operable to embrace the rearward surface of the heel whenattaching pressure is exerted by the forepart and shank pressingelements, said heel support being mounted in a heel tray, a bell cranklever fulcrumed in the pad box and pivotally connected to the shanktray, means pivotally mounting the heel tray on an arm of the bell cranklever for movement about an axis extending widthwise of the shoe, andyieldable means connected to said lever for resisting movement of theheel support bodily heightwise of the shoe when the latter and the padbox are relatively moved heightwise.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein the heel tray is detachablymounted on the bell crank lever.

A. A machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein the heel tray is formedwith an upstanding rib adapted to extend into detachable, tightfittingrelation with a kerf portion of the heel support.

5. In a breast flap attaching machine, a resilient heel support havingan under portion formed with a kerf, a

heel tray pivotally mounted for carrying the heel support, said trayhaving a pair of front aligned ribs extending widthwise of a shoe to beoperated upon for retaining the support on the tray or optionallyseating in said kerf to retain the support in a second position.

6. For use in a heel breast flap attachin'g machine, a pad box havingside enclosing means for confining vertically disposed independent shankengaging elements and a breast flap pressing member, a heel supportcooperative with the flap pressing member to hold a heel againstdisplacement relative to its shoe on the pad box, and pivotally relatedmeans for simultaneously pressing the shank engaging elements, the flappressing member and the heel support against the shoe, and means formounting said heel support, on being engaged by the rearward surface ofthe heel, for yielding movement heightwise of the shoe and for pivotalmovement about an axis extending widthwise of the shoe to causeincreasing pressure to be applied by the heel support against therearward surface of the heel at the desired point on the heel as saidpressing member increases its pressure on the flap.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,052,901 9/1962 Gulbrandsenl216.4 3,055,027 9/1962 Gulbrandsen 12l6.4 3,081,468 3/1963 Barker12l6.2

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner

